Phonograph



E. J. SPEER.

PHONOGRAPH. I APPLICATIONv FILED AUG. 14, I916- RENEWED MAR. 25, 1920.

1,357,910. Patented N09. 2, 1920.

,, Folg, 1.

ATTORNEY UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR J. SPEER, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CARRIE E. SLEASE, OF

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY.

PHONO GRAPH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1920- Application filed August 14, 1916, Serial No. 114,881. Renewed Maruh 25, 1920. Serial No. 368,696.

To all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, EDGAR J. Srnnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Newark, Essex county, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Phonographs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates toimprovements in talking machines and more particularly to the construction of the tone-arm and the manner of mountin the reproducer thereon, and has forits object to provide a device of this character adapted for use .in connection with records having a tone groove formed either with lateral or verti-,

cal undulations.

Further, the invention has for its object to provide a tone-arm which is adjustable in the direction of its length.

Further, the invention has for its object to provide a device consisting of a tone-arm and a reproducer which is adjustable into a plurality of playing positions whereby the device is adapted to play records'of clifferent types; 1

Further, the invention has for its object to provide a device consisting ofa tone-arm and a reproducer comprising a sound-box having a diaphragm adapted'to be vibrated in accordance with the movement of a stylus in which device the sound-box may be adjusted to cause the diaphragm to assume a position substantially tangential with, or at'right angles to the convolutions of the tone groove.

Other obj ects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

' To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, my invention consists in the novel details of construction, and in the combination, connection and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention- Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved tone-arm and reproducer, the reproducer being shown in one of its operative positions; 1 i

I Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation thereof;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 2, the reprodncer being shown in the other of its operative positions, and

Rotatably mounted within the tubular member 13 and supported by the shoulder a 15, formed by the upper surface of the flange 14:,is the downwardly bent end 16 of a swinging tone-arm comprising three tubular portions 17, 18 an d 19, the portion 18 being pivotally securedat its inner end to the outerend of the portion 17 by pivots 20 whereby it may swing in a vertical plane,

and the portion 19 being telescopically and rotatably supported within the portion 18, for purposes hereinafter described, and having its outer end, which constitutes the outer end of the tone-arm, inclined in a downwardly direction. The portion 18 of the tone-arm is provided with a longitudinally extending slot 21 having its outer and inner endscommunicating with circumferentially extending slots 22,23 which are of a length substantially equal to half the circumferenceof the tubular portion 18. A set screw 24: mounted upon the portion 19 of the tone-arm is adapted to engage the slots 21, 22 and 23 for the purpose of limiting the longitudinal and rotatable movement of the portion 19 relatively to the portion 18 of the tone-arm as hereinafter de scribed.

. The reproducer comprising a sound-box 25 carrying a detachable stylus 26 is provided with a laterally extending socket 27 to receive the downwardly inclined outer end of the portion 19 of the tone-arm whereby the reproducer may be rotated with respect to the tubular tone arm about the longitudinal axis thereof in order to permit the reproducer to be used in connection with records having tone grooves formed with lateral undulations, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and also with records having tone grooves formed with vertical undulations, as shown in Fig. 3. Rotary movement of the reproducer in either direction is limited by a screw 28, carried by the outer end of the portion 19 of the tone-arm, and

operative positions to, the 7 other thereon Should the reproducerneed repairing it may be withdrawn from the outer end of the tone-arm by first removing the set.

screw 28.

The operation of the device is as follows:- V 7 V f 7 If the record to be played has a tone groove formed with lateral undulations the various parts of the device are adjusted to the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the telescopic portion 19 being in its outermost position with the set screw 2% engaging the outer end of-the slot 21, and the reproducer being rotated about the outer end of the tone-arm to occupy-a, positionsuch that the plane of the diaphragm of the sound-box 25 will be substantially tangent to the convolutions of the tone groove ofthe record,

'the reproducer being securely, held in its adjusted position by tightening the set screw 28 When the parts are thus adjusted the path of the stylus 26, as it travels from the outer groove to the inner groove, will be substantially. radial with respect to the record 12, and the diaphragm of the soundbox 25 will be vibrated by the lateral movements or" the stylus 26 due to; the lateral undulations of the tone groove.

. Assuming now that the record to be la ed has a tone roove formed with ver- P y g tical undulations, the set screw 28 is loosened and thereproducer is rotated about the outer end of the tone-arm through an angle of ninety degrees in which position the diaphragm of the sound-box 25 will be. in a plane at rightangles to the convolution of the tone groove whereby it will be vibrated by the vertical movements of the stylus 26 due to the vertical undulations of the tone groove. The reproducer 1s secured in its adjusted position by again tightening the.

set screw 28. When the reproducer is thus rotated the stylus 26 will occupy a position in advance of the position it formerly occupied, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3,

owing to the fact that the sound-box is eccentrically positioned with respect to the axis of rotation of the reproducer. it is therefore necessary to move the telescopic 7 portion 19 of the tone-arm to occupy its innermost position, in which position the set screw 2 engages the inner end of the slot 21, in order to bring the stylus 26 into the same position relatively to the record that it occupied when playing a record having a tone groove formed with lateral unduor innermost position.

'lations, so thatthe path of the stylus will be substantially radial with respect. to the record.

IneithercaSQ, at the cO l of the 7 or to remove a stylus the reproducer and the portion'19 of the tone-arm are rotated with: respect to. the portion 18' thereof through an angle ofsubstantially one hundred and eighty degrees, the set screw 24 riding'ineither the slot 22 or the slot 23 depending upon whether the telescopic portion 19 of the tone-arm is in its outermost When these parts have been thus rotated the sound-box 24 will be inverted thusbringing the socket which carries the stylus into position to admit of the removal or insertion of the stylus26. 7

.Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i a 1. A device of the. character described comprising a tone-arm adapted to be supported upon the casing of a talking machine and comprising telescopic portions whereby one oi said portions may bemoved in a longitudinal direction relatively to the otherv positions, whereby saidsoundbox may be inverted to permit the insertion or removal of a stylus whensaidmovable member is in eitherof its adjusted positions, substantially as specified. 5 I

A; device, of the character described comprisinga tone-arm adapted to be supported upon the casing of a talking machine and comprising telescopic portions, whereby one of said portions may be moved in a longitudinal direction relatively to the other thereof to vary the length ofthe tone-arm, a sound-box carried by said movable portion, said movable portion being rotatable independently of its longitudinal movement when in either of its adjusted positions, whereby said sound-box maybe inverted to permit the insertion or removal of a stylus when said movable member is in either of its adjusted positions, and means to limit the rotary movement of said movable portion, substantially as specified. V

3. A device of the character described comprising a tone-arm adapted to besupported upon the casing of a talking machine and comprising telescopic portions, whereby one of said portionsmay be moved in a longitudinal direction relatively to the other thereof to vary the length of the tone-arm, a sound-box carried by said movable portion, said movable portion being rotatable independently of its longitudinal movement when in either of its adjusted positions, whereby said sound-box may be inverted to permit the insertion or removal of a stylus when said movable member is in either of its adjusted positions, and means for limiting the longitudinal and the rotary movements of said movable portion, substantially as specified.

4t. A device of the character described comprising a tone-arm adapted to be sup ported upon the casing of a talking machine and comprising telescopic portions, one of said portions being rotatable with respect to the other thereof, one of said portions being provided with a longitudinally extending slot having circumferentially extending slots communicating With the ends thereof, the other of said portions being provided With means engaging said slots to limit the telescopic and rotary movements thereof, and a sound-box carried by one of said portions, substantially as specified.

Signed at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, this 2nd day of August, one thousand nine hundred and sixteen.

EDGAR J. SPEER.

Witnesses CONRAD A. Dm'rERIoH, LOUIS B. HASBROUCK. 

